The Dodgers will activate Zack Greinke from the disabled list, and the right-hander will start Wednesday night against the Washington Nationals less than five weeks after he had a metal plate inserted in his fractured left clavicle.
Greinke made only one rehab start last Friday and threw 80 pitches for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. The outing didn't go well on paper - he allowed six hits, three earned runs and lasted just 4 1/3 innings.
But Greinke said he's comfortable pitching a major-league game three weeks ahead of his original eight-week timetable. The Dodgers' medical staff concurred.
"There is some risk," Greinke said. "There's risk starting (Clayton) Kershaw. I'm sure on our team there's a lot of risk every day. I think it's well worth the risk we're taking for my situation.
"If our medical people thought I shouldn't be pitching, I'd be OK with it. If I had a problem with how I'm pitching I'd be in the minor leagues."
Greinke fractured his clavicle in a brawl April 11 in San Diego and had surgery two days later. He runs some risk of re-injury by swinging a bat too hard, bumping into another player on the run, or by diving and landing on his left side.
"Medical's pretty confident that he'd be able to handle some type of blow - maybe not the same type of blow - but he could get bumped and handle it," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said.
Greinke's arm strength is not an issue. He threw a regular bullpen session Sunday, two days after his rehab start, and Mattingly said he would be comfortable letting Greinke throw between 90 and 100 pitches if he's pitching well.
But Greinke only began swinging the bat in earnest this week, and he has some vaguely defined restrictions at the plate.
"I might not be able to swing as hard as Carlos Gomez swings," he said, referring to the Milwaukee Brewers' center fielder. "I could try to hit a home run. It's probably not worth doing but I can do it."
The Dodgers have struggled to fill out their rotation without Greinke, who signed a $147 million free agent contract last December. Matt Magill, who has a 6.92 ERA in his first three major-league starts, is a candidate to be optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque to make room for Greinke.
Right-hander Josh Beckett was still sore one day after tweaking his groin and might be placed on the disabled list to make room for Greinke. Beckett is 0-5 and the Dodgers are 1-7 in his starts.
In fact, the Dodgers are 11-7 in games started by Greinke, Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu this season, and 4-15 in their other games through Monday.
Asked if Greinke would pitching today if the Dodgers were over .500, Mattingly said, "I don't know," then added: "I think this is a situation where he wants to pitch. Yeah, I think he does."
Mattingly said X-rays on Greinke's clavicle showed healing and Greinke reports he's feeling less soreness in the area of the injury after daily workouts.
"It's nothing superhero-ish," Greinke said. "If you felt what I feel, you'd do the same thing."